Sankranti: the Sun enters a new sign

What Sankranti is

‘Sankranti’ means passing from one place to another. The Sun moves through the twelve signs, staying about a month in each. The moment it enters the next sign is that sign's Sankranti: Mesha Sankranti, Vrisha Sankranti, and so on to Meena Sankranti.

Dharmasindhu explains that the span from one Sankranti of the Sun to the next is a solar month. In the solar calendars of regions such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Punjab, the month begins from it, so there Sankranti is also the first day of the month.

Sankranti is set by the Sun, not the Moon, so it rests on the moment of the Sun's sign entry, not on a tithi. Indian panchangs count signs against the stars (nirayana); our engine does the same.

How the punya-kala is decided

Shastra (Dharmasindhu): a Sankranti's ‘punya-kala’, the time for bathing and giving, lies before or after the moment of entry, depending on the sign (one ghati = 24 minutes):

• Mesha, Tula: 15 ghatis before and 15 after (some teachers say 10 each).
• Vrisha, Simha, Vrischika, Kumbha: the 16 ghatis before.
• Mithuna, Kanya, Dhanu, Meena: the 16 ghatis after.
• Karka: the 30 ghatis before.
• Makara: the 40 ghatis after.

Muhurta Chintamani gives a general rule: 16 ghatis before and after the Sankranti. Our calendar follows Dharmasindhu's sign-by-sign list.

Entry at night (shastra, Dharmasindhu and Muhurta Chintamani):

• Entry before midnight → the latter half of that day is the punya-kala.
• Entry after midnight → the first half of the next day.
• Exactly at midnight → both: the latter half of the first day and the first half of the next.

Dharmasindhu says this night rule applies to all Sankrantis except Makara and Karka. Makara at night always gives the next day (the full detail is on the Makar Sankranti page). If Karka begins before sunrise, Muhurta Chintamani takes the earlier day.

Even when the entry is at night, the bath and the rest are done by day; Dharmasindhu says all agree on this, and it is the custom of many regions.

Four kinds of Sankranti

Dharmasindhu and Muhurta Chintamani group the twelve Sankrantis under four names:

• Ayana: Makara (start of uttarayana) and Karka (start of dakshinayana).
• Vishuva: Mesha and Tula.
• Shadashiti (Shadashitimukha): Mithuna, Kanya, Dhanu, Meena.
• Vishnupada: Vrisha, Simha, Vrischika, Kumbha.

Dharmasindhu says the punya grows in that order (from Vishnupada towards Ayana); which is why the Makara, Karka, Mesha and Tula Sankrantis became the biggest festivals.

Giving: Dharmasindhu lists a gift for each Sankranti, such as sesame and milk products in Tula, a lamp in Vrischika, firewood and fire in Makara (fuel in winter), water and grass for cows in Kumbha. It adds that other such gifts may be considered too; in short, give as you can and as there is need.

Fasting: some fast on the Ayana and Vishuva Sankrantis; Dharmasindhu calls this kamya (by one's wish), not nitya (a fixed duty).

Sankranti across India: tradition

• Mesha Sankranti: Baisakhi in Punjab, Vishu in Kerala, Puthandu (new year) in Tamil Nadu, Rongali Bihu in Assam, Pana Sankranti in Odisha, Poila Boishakh in Bengal; a solar new year in many places.
• Karka Sankranti: the start of dakshinayana; special worship in Odisha and in southern temples.
• Simha Sankranti: ‘Ghee Sankrant’ (Ghyu Tyar) in Uttarakhand.
• Kanya Sankranti: Vishwakarma Puja in Bengal, Odisha and Bihar: worship of tools and machines.
• Tula Sankranti: Kaveri Sankramana in Kodagu, Karnataka.
• Makara Sankranti: Pongal, Lohri, Uttarayan, Magh Bihu, Khichdi; it has its own page.

On the other Sankrantis many families simply bathe, offer water to the Sun and give a little. Customs differ by region, and each is right in its own place.

A simple puja

1. Bathe in the punya-kala (or that morning).
2. Offer water to the Sun from a copper pot with red flowers and rice.
3. A simple Sun mantra, such as ‘Om Suryaya Namah’, or the Gayatri.
4. Give as you can: grain, clothing, sesame and jaggery, or something the season calls for, to someone in need.

Tradition holds that remembering the Sun at this turn of the month brings a pause and a sense of gratitude to one's routine.

Safety and health

River baths: bathe at the edge, away from deep water and currents. In fair crowds, hold the hands of children and elders. In the cold, a warm bath at home counts as complete.

Fasting: if you fast on Sankranti, do it as your health allows. Anyone who is unwell, pregnant, diabetic or on regular medicine should choose a lighter form (fruit, milk, or one simple meal) or ask a doctor. There is no need for a waterless (nirjala) fast. For health, the doctor comes first; no vrat replaces that.

When offering water to the Sun, don't stare straight at it for long.

In ePandit

In ePandit: our calendar shows the festival day with your city's sunrise and sunset. The day is decided once, for Ujjain; your city's times are shown separately. We don't compute muhurta yet, and we never call a festival good or bad for anyone.

Frequently asked questions